Artificial-ice-making apparatus



1,521.711 H. D. POWNALL ARTIFICIAL ICE MAKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29 1925 I s Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan, 6, 1925.

a H N N 3. 3 anscon 8 Jan. l925- V 1,521,711

H. D. POWNALL AR'I'IFICIAL ICE MAKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29 1923 3 Sheets-rSheet 2,

I M a y v01) on N 1,521,711 H. D. POWNALL ARTIFICIAL 1cm MAKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29 19 s Sheets-Sheet :5

0 l w u p p Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES HENRY D. PCWNALL, OF CANTON, OHIO.

ARTIFICIAL-ICE-MAKING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 29, 1923.

T 0 all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. POWNALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial- Ice-Making Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in artificial ice making apparatus, and method of operation. One of its objects is to pro.- vide improved means to regulate the supply of fresh water to the ice molds throughout the refilling operation and the freezing operation. Another object is to provide for refilling a plurality of ice molds without liability to overflow fresh water into the brine of the freezing tank or other place where it would cause injury or annoyance. Another object is to provide improved means whereby ice blocks of substantially uniform weight may be produced. Another object is to provide improved means adjustable to enable the weight of the ice blocks to be increased .or decreased at will. Another object is to provide improved means to remove the excess of fresh water due to its increased volume in the ice molds from expansion after the freezing operation commences. Another object is to provide for raising or lowering the surface level of the fresh water in the ice molds at the will of the operator. My invention also comprises certain details of apparatus and method or order of operation, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a portion of an artificial ice making apparatus embodying my improvements.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are sectional details of ice molds illustrating difierent stages of the fresh water supply operation.

Fig. 5, is a perspective view of the fresh water connections leading to and from one freezing tank unit.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the means for variably adjusting the supply and surface level of the fresh water in the ice molds and preventing an overflow of fresh water from the ice molds. I

Fig. 7, is a sectional detail taken on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8, is a sectional detail taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9, is a diagrammatic detail of the ployed in the same installation.

Serial No. 615,544.

balanced valve actuating lever and its 0011? nections.

The accompanying drawings represent the preferred embodiment of my invention in which 14 represents the brine cooler, and 15 a plurality of freezing tank units of an artificial ice making apparatus, The respective freezing tank units are each provided with aplurality of ice cans or ice molds 16 which are mounted in a semi-permanent manner over openings 17 in the bot tom of the freezing tank so that fresh water and air may be admitted to the respective ice molds through the bottoms thereof, and so that-water may be supplied or withdrawn from the ice molds either prior to .or during the freezing operation. Each freezing tank is also provided with a partition 18 to provide for circulating cold brine in a loop shaped path through the respective freezing tanks in contact with the exterior of the side walls of the ice molds. Cold brine conduits 19 lead the cold brine from the brine cooler to the respective freezing tank units and cold brine conduits 2O serve to return cold brine from the freezing tank units to the brine cooler.

The brine cooler has a chamber in which a liquefiable refrigerant is expanded, being led to the brine cooler through a conduit 21 and. led away from the brine cooler through a conduit 22. The brine is circulated under a relatively low head and large volume by a propeller 23, through flues in the direct expansion chamber of the brine cooler and then by a parallel system of circulation .to the respective freezing tank units and return to the brine cooler tank. A considerable number of freezing tank units located on. one .or on'both sides of the brine cooler, are designed to be employed, and more than one brine cooler may be em- A fresh water pI'e-cooler and storage reservoir 24 is provided with main fresh water conduits 25 and branch fresh water conduits 26 to lead fresh water from the storage reservoir 2-} to refill all of the ice molds of any one freezing tank unit with cool fresh water at one operation. I In order to ,pre-cool the fresh water in the storage reservoir 24 and at the same time sufficiently warm the brine in any one of the freezing tank units to release the ice from i 1 the upper portion of the reservoir 24, and a system of warm brine conduits 28 and a by-pass 29 and circulating pump 30 in each warm brine circulating system to enable the temperature of the brine to be slowly elevated and fully under the control of the operator to enable the ice to be released from the ice molds without exposing the ice to such sudden or local changes as to be liable to fracture the ice blocks. As illustrated in Fig. 1, I have shown four independent warm brine circulating systems each to be connected to a plurality of freezing tank units to provide for releasing the ice in more than one freezing tank unit conveniently at the same time. In each brine tank are valves 31 and 32 to control the inletand eXit of warm brine thereto. Cold brine conduits 19 and 20 are controlled by gate valves 33 and 34.

In practice it is desirable to be able to regulate and control the height of the fresh water in the ice molds of the respective freezing tank units, and to initially and subsequently control or vary the height of fresh water in the ice molds as the freezing operation proceeds. For instance it is desirable to so regulate the height of the fresh water as to produce finished ice blocks of a pre-determined weight and to be able to change the weight from time to time.

' Also it is desirable as the freezing operation progresses and expansion of the water and ice in the ice molds tends to increase the height of the column of fresh raw water, to maintain a uniform height by escaping the excess of fresh water by overflowing the excess to a drain. Also where the final residue of fresh raw water is withdrawn and the cores of the ice blocks refilled with distilled water or fresh raw water, it is desirable to increase the height to which distilled water is filled in over that of the raw water previously employed. There are also other minor uses for which means to regulate and control the height of the fresh water maybe advantageously employed.

In order to regulate and control the height of fresh water in the ice molds of the respective freezing tank units, in groups, I provide a reservoir 40 for each freezing tank unit, connected to the fresh water main conduit system 25 by means of an upright conduit 41. At the upper end of each of the fresh water branch conduit 41, and within one of the tanks 40 is a tapered cock or valve 42 mounted within a valve casing 43 and adapted to admit or shut off the supply of fresh water from the conduit 41 to the interior chamber of the cook 42 through a port 43. A balanced valve comprising two valve members 44 and 45 spaced apart and mounted rigidly upon a valve stem 46 which engage corresponding valve seats at 51 and 52 at opposite ends of the tapered cock 42 and serves to admit or cut off the supply of fresh water from the chamber of cock to the interior of the tank 40. The cock 42 is adapted to be rotated within its casing 43 to open or close said cock by means of a wrench applied to the wrench seat 47. The cock 42 is preferably provided with a bell shaped deflector 48 to deflect the fresh water escaping past the valve 44 laterally instead of upwardly. I also preferably provide a coiled spring 49 interposed between a cross bar 50 and the deflector 46 to retain the cock 42 in engagement with its seat.

The balanced valves 44 and 45 are actuated by means of a lever 56 pivotally moui'ited, preferably as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 9, at the lower end of a rod 53 carried rigidly upon the valve casing 43. A coiled spring 54 upon the pivot bolt 55 serves to yieldingly tension the movements of the lever 56. one end the lever 56 is slotted to engage a bolt or pivot pin 57 by means of which the lever 56 is pivotally connected to the stem 46 of the balanced valves 44 and45. At

its opposite end the lever 56 is pivotally connected to a tubular rod 57 the upper end of which tubular rod 57 telescopes upon a depending pin 58 rigidly attached to a cross bar 59 rigidly connected across the top of the tank 40. A hell or float 60 is adjustably mounted upon the tubular rod 57 and is limited in its adjustment upwardly by a pair of lock nuts 61 and limited in its adjustment downwardly by a pair-of lock nuts 62. Mounted rigidly upon the bell is a casing 68 having an adjustable finger 64 to engage the under face of the lock nuts 61 to limit the upward adjustment of the bell 60. The casing 63 is also provided with two opposed hand-levers 65 and 66 which are perforated for the passage of the tubular rod 57 and engaged by an interposed spring 67, and at their inner ends by stop lugs 68 and 69 whereby the levers 65 and 66 are normally oppositely inclined and thereby cramp or engage upon the rod 57 where said rod passes through the closely fitting perforations in the levers 65 and 66 to thereby rigidly lock the casing 63 and bell 60 to the rod 57. By manually pressing the projecting ends of the levers 65 and 66 toward each other the bell is unlocked from the rods 57 and may be moved upwardly or downwardly to a new position of adjustment, whereby the bell 60 may be readily and frequently adjusted to differentpositions to predeterinine and control the height of fresh water in the tank 40, and also thereby in the respective ice molds of a given freezing tank unit, due to the height of the fresh water in tank 40 acting through the bell 60 upon the balanced valves 44 and 45 to open and close said valves automatically to admit or shut off the supply of fresh water to tank 40.

Mounted rigidly within the tank 40 is fit) an open mouthed overflow spout 68 to the lower end of which is connected anoverflow conduit 69' leading to a sewer or other receptacle for waste water. An auxiliary overflow spout 70 is pivotally mounted through the side wall of the spout 68 and held yieldingly in engagement therewith by means of a coiled spring 71 and cotter pin 72. The upper rim of the spout 68 is at such a height as to take the overflow of the tank 40 even with the valves 44 and 45 wide open, as for instance in the event of an accident or oversight, and thus guard against and prevent the possibility of fresh water rising in the ice molds to a sufiicient height to overflow fresh water into the brine of the freezing tank units or out upon the floor of the tank room. The auxiliary overflow spout. is ro tatably adjustable relative to the spout 68 and will yieldingly retain its adjusted position to thereby provide a variable and adjustable overflow adapted to accommodate the normal overflow from the tank 40 and the ice molds of the freezing tank unit controlled thereby so as to adjustably predetermine the fresh water level within thetank 40 and the ice molds and to thereby enable the operator to predetcrmine the weight of the ice blocks, and if desired to change the weight of the ice blocks from day to day. The adjustable overflow spout 70 in combination with the adjustable bell 60 and valves 4A and d5 controlled thereby provide for so adjusting thefresh water supply and the fresh water overflow from tank 40 as to maintain a relatively small but constant fresh water flow into and from said tank. I

Leading from the bottom of the tank 40 is a drain conduit 74 provided with a branch conduit 26 controlled by a manually actuated valve 76, see Fig. 7, whereby all the fresh water may be drained from the tank 40 through the conduit 7e, and whereby all the core water or uncongealed water may be drained from each of the ice molds of a given freezing tank unit at one operation by opening the valves 76 to the waste conduit'75. The valve 76 is actuated through a valve rod 77 pivotally connected at its lower end at 78 to the upper end of the valve 7 6 and at its upper end at 7 9 to a hand lever 80 which is in turn pivotally connected at 81 to a cross bar 82 rigidly attached across the top of the tank 40. The hand lever 80 has a horizontal position shown in Fig. 7, in which the valve 76 rests upon its seat, and a vertical position in which the valve 7 6 is held elevated above its seat; I preferably provide for supplying fresh raw water to the tank T0 through the conduit 25, and for also supplying distilled fresh water to the tank 40 at will through a distilled water branch conduit 83 leading from a distilled water storage tank not shown to the branch conduit 41 where a three-way cock 84 is op erable to admit either raw ordistilled water to the tank 40 through the conduit 41.

Iii-practice after. a freezing operation in any one of the brine tank units has been completed and the ice block's all harvested the valve 76 is opened to-dra in all fresh water from the ice molds and from the tank 40. The bell 60 is adjusted to the proper height on the rod 57 the cock 42 is turned to its open position and the balanced valves 44 and 45 being open fresh raw water flows from conduit 25 into the tank 40 and through the conduits 74 above the closed valve 76 and through conduit 26 and its several branches to the respective ice molds until the ice molds arenearly filled and a fixed and uniform fresh water level is reachedin the several ice molds and in tank 40. The freezing operation is then commenced and as it progresses there is a tendency for the water level in the ice molds to rise due to the ice and cold water having expanded. The overflow spout 70 being adjusted-rotatably maintains a uniform fresh water level in the several ice molds and in tank 40 and prevents the expansion in the ice 'mo-l'ds from causing an increase in the fresh water level therein. Whenthe freezing operation is nearly completed-and the vertical cores in the ice blocks are nearly closed the cock 4:2 is closed and valve 76' is opened draining the tank 40- and also the core waiter and accumulated sediment salts and other impurities therein through conduits 26- and 75. Then valve 76 is closed and either fresh raw water, or if desired fresh distilled'water is drawn into tank 40 and through conduits 26 to fill all the cores in'the ice blocks-of the given freezing tank unit. The cores may thus be filled with clean fresh water to the same level as maintained during the major freezing operation, or if desired the bell 60 and overflow 70 may now be adjusted to av higher level so that the clean fresh water rises slightly above the top of the ice blocks. The fresh water supply may now be shut off at cook 42, or allowed to overflow at spout 7 0 as may be'desi-re'd while the freezing operation is continued until the cores of the ice blocks are frozen solid ready to be harvested.

The cock 42 is then closed, warm brine is slowly applied through the conduits 28 and tempered as to temperatureby use of the bypass 29, so as to avoid sudden or excessive changes in temperature liable to fracture the ice blocks. As soon as the i'ce'blocks have been released from the ice molds they are removed and the ice molds again rebefore the freezing operation. Fig. 3 represents an ice mold at the end of the major freezing operation, and before drawing off the core water. Fig. 4, represents an ice mold with the core refilled with fresh raw or distilled water ready for the final or minor freezing operation. Fig. 4, also represents an ice mold in which the fresh water level has been increased a short time before the completion of the major freezing operation in order to flush and clean the upper face of the ice block when the core water is later drained away.

If the raw fresh water was allowed to expand and thereby increase the height of raw water in the ice molds during the freezing operation instead of removing the excess of raw water due to expansion in the ice molds through the conduit 69, there would be formed gradually above the ice one layer or strata of fresh raw water after another, similar to the layer of distilled water shown in Fig. 4:, and the ice would creep up the sides of the ice molds and gradually congeal the upper stratae of raw water with such salts, sediment, and gaseous im' purities as it might contain into a stratified porous and discolored section across the top of the ice block, which is objectionable be cause it injures the appearance of the ice, the purity of the ice, and its market value.

By providing'an overflow for the excess of raw water due to expansion, and removing a residue of unfrozen raw water and replacing the same with distilled water to a higher level and then completing the freez ing operation, blocks of ice of great purity free from included gas, or discoloration, and hence of greater market value may be produced. I also contemplate where desirable to elevate the spout 70 for a few minutes shortly before withdrawing the residue of raw water to thereby flood or flush and wash off the upper face at 90, see Fig. 4, of the ice as the residue of raw water or core water leaves the ice molds on its way to the conduit 74.

The apparatus and method herein illustrated and described are capable of considerable modification within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit 4 of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a freezing tank unit provided with an ice mold exposed to refrigeration through its side walls, a fresh water supply conduit system connected to said ice molds to fill or refill the ice molds with fresh water, and means to adjustably predetermine the height of the column of fresh water .in said ice mold.

2. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a freezing tank unit provided with an ice mold exposed to refrigeration through its side walls, a fresh water supply conduit system connected to said ice mold to fill or refill the ice mold with fresh water, and adapted to selectively supply raw fresh water and distilled fresh water, and means to enable a column of raw fresh water of a predetermined height to be supplied and a to fill or refill the ice mold with fresh water, 0

and adapted to selectively supply raw fresh water and distilled fresh water, and means to maintain a column of raw fresh water at a predetermined height through a portion of the freezing operation and to maintain a column of fresh water at a different height through another portion of the freezing operation.

4. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side walls, a fresh water supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation and means independently operable for each freezing tank unit to adjustably predetermine the height of the column of fresh water in the ice molds of said freezing tank unit.

5. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side walls, a fresh water supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation, and adapted to selectively supplyraw fresh water and distilled fresh water, and means independently operable for each freezing tank unit to enable columns of raw fresh water of predetermined height to be supplied to the several ice molds of the respective freezing tank units and to enable columns of distilled fresh water of different predetermined height to be supplied to the several ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

6. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side walls, a fresh water supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation, and adapted to selectively supply raw fresh water and distilled fresh water, and means independently operable for each freezing tank unit to enable columns of raw fresh water of predeterllli llU

mined height to be maintained in the several ice molds of the respective freezing tank units and to enable columns of distilled fresh Water of different predetermined height to be maintained in the several ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

7. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided With a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation, and means independently operable for each freezing tank unit to enable columns of fresh Water of relatively different predetermined height to be periodically maintained in the several ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

8. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation, and means independently operable for each freezing tank unit to enable columns of fresh water of relatively different predetermined height to be periodically supplied in the ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

9. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality 'of freezing tank units each provided With a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh W ater supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation, fresh Water surface level adjusting reservoir included in said fresh water conduit system for each freezing tank unit, and means located in said respective surface level adjusting reservoirs respectively adjustable to selectively independently maintain a column of fresh Water of predetermined height in the ice molds of each of the respective freezing tank units,

10. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh water supply conduit system to independently fill or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at one operation, a fresh Water surface level I adjusting reservoir included in said fresh ing tank units, a fresh Water storage reservoir, a Warm brine conduit system connectmg each freezing tank unit With said fresh Water storage IESQI'VOII to pre-cool the fresh Water before the fresh Water is employed to i refill the ice molds, a fresh Water conduit system leading from said storage reservoir to the ice molds of each of said freezing tank units, and means interposed in the fresh Water conduit system leading to each freezing tank unit to adjustably and selectively predetermine the height of the column of fresh Water in the ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

12. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a brine cooler, a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds refrigerated through their side Walls by a circulation of cold brine from said brine cooler to each of said freezing tank units, a fresh Water storage reservoir, a Warm brine conduit system connecting each freezing tank unit with said fresh Water storage reservoir topre-cool the fresh Water before the fresh Water is employed to' refill the ice molds, a fresh Water conduit system leading from said storage reservoir to the ice molds of each of said freezing tank units, a fresh Water surface level adjusting reservoir included in said fresh Water conduit system respectively for each freezing tank unit, and means located in each surface level adjusting reservoir to adjustably maintain a column of fresh Water of predetermined height in the several ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

13..An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a brine cooler, a plurality of freezing tank units each provided with a plurality of ice molds refrigerated through their side Walls by a circulation of cold brine from said brine cooler to each of said freezing tank units, a fresh Water storage reservoir, a Warm brine conduit system connect ing each freezing tank unit With said fresh Water storage reservoir to pre-cool the fresh Water before the fresh Water is employed to refill the ice molds, a fresh Water conduit system leading from said storage reservoir to the ice molds of each of said freezing tank units, a fresh Water surface level ad justing reservoir included in said fresh water conduit system for each freezing tank unit, an automatically actuated valve to control the flow of fresh Water to said surface level adjusting reservoir, and an overflow member adjustable vertically to maintain a column of fresh Water of predetermined height in the several ice molds of the respec l tive freezing tank units.

14. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided With a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply conduit system to independently fill, drain or refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at a single operation having a valve controlled fesh Water supply branch conduit, a valve controlled fresh Water drain branch conduit, and a fresh Water overflow branch conduit for each freezing tank unit, and overflow means independently operable for each freezing tank unit to enable columns of fresh Water of predetermined height to he independently maintained in the ice molds of the respective freezing tank units.

15. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided With a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply conduit sys tem to independently fill, drain, and refill, the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at a single operation having a fresh Water supply branch conduit for each freezing tank unit, a manually controlled valve and a fioat'controlled valve to jointly control the supply of fresh Water to the ice molds of each freezing tank unit, an overfioW spout to predetermine the fresh wa ter level in said ice molds of each freezing tank unit, and a valve controlled conduit to drain the fresh Water from the ice molds of each freezing tank unit.

16. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided With a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply conduit system to independently fill, drain, and refill, the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at a single operation, a manually controlled fresh Water supply valve, and an automatically and adjustably controlled fresh Water supply valve to jointly control the supply of fresh Water to the ice molds of each freezing tank unit, an adjustable overflow spout to predetermine the fresh Water level in said ice molds of each freezing tank unit, and a valve controlled conduit to drain the ice molds of each freezing tank unit.

17. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided With plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply conduit system to independently fill, drain, and refill'the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at a single operation, a manually controlled fresh Water supply valve and an automatically controlled fresh Water supply valve to jointly control the supply of fresh Water to the ice molds of each freezing tank unit, a fiXed overflow spout and an adjustable overfloW spout to jointly and variably predetermine the fresh Water level in said ice molds of each freezing tank unit, and a valve controlled conduit to drain the ice molds of each freezing tank unit.

18. An artificial ice making apparatus comprising a plurality of freezing tank units each provided With a plurality of ice molds adapted to be refrigerated through their side Walls, a fresh Water supply c011- duit system to independently fill, drain and refill the several ice molds of each freezing tank unit at a single operation, having a manually controlled fresh Water supply valve, and an automatically controlled fresh water supply valve to jointly control the supply of fresh Water to the ice molds of each freezing tank unit, an overflow spout to predetermine the maximum fresh water level in the ice molds of each freezing tank HENRY D. POlVNALL 

